Our season began in late May, the World Cup a week away,
St George fluttered from every upright and Rooney still an idol not yet an
adulterer. Fabio was fabulous and confidence was high that Saint Gerrard could
hold aloft the coveted trophy.

Pre season hopes matched those of the England team,
confidence was high we could be title contenders. Our first fixture was against
eventual runners up Racing Maylan. A squad larger than some Sundays turned up
which unfortunately meant some missed out. Dave as Rafa the Gaffer stood aside,
clipboard in hand and bellowing instructions from the line – useful
practice for glories further down the line. We won and won well 4-0. Matt
Turner inspired in goal not only saving a penalty but setting up goals from his
accurate throwing. The only dark note was the injury Felix suffered which was
to keep him out for the rest of the season. However he did get to have a ride
in an ambulance, so every cloud…

The next 3 results however changed the mood. A draw and
two losses, 1-0 against Kilburn Grange, 1-1 v the Jets and 2-0 against
The Academicals pretty much strangled our hopes of silverware before the season
was even halfway through. The latter game being disappointing as from an early
squad of 10 we now had only 4.

The following week brought a better performance however.
From 2-0 and 4-2 down we fought back to gain a credible 4-4 draw with eventual
league winners The Academicals. If nothing else it proved we were the equal of
anyone in the league and our downfall was not our ability on the pitch but the
number of players who turned up. We were finding 30 minutes of non stop
5-a-side a stretch and without being able to rotate the team frequently we were
beaten by teams with superior numbers and fresher legs.

Despite the improvement defeats in the next 2 games
snuffed out any lingering hopes of a charge from the back to claim the title.
Disappointingly 4-1 against Racing Maylan and 2-1 against Tequila Party Gnomes.

At this stage of the season we were second bottom having a
record of w1d2 l5. We had 5 games to turn round our fortunes and claim a bit of
respectability. The next week was a double header against Traf FC and The Jets,
teams with similar records to us. However we would be playing an hour of
5-a-side so we needed a strong squad. Dave badgered and cajoled and in the end
we had 9 turn out. This allowed us to play virtually a fresh team in each half
of every game. The turnaround in fortunes was dramatic, 5-0 and 5-2 wins
propelling us 2 spots up the table.

The penultimate week of the season brought another double
header. Our aim was 2 wins to guarantee fourth spot. However a 3-1 defeat to
Traf FC in the first game left us with a must win game in the second. Defeat
would consign us to the bottom 3 and our hopes of a top half finish out of our
hands, a win and it would all come down to the last game against mid table
rivals Kilburn FC. Our opponents, Tequila Party Gnomes, were at the time title
contenders and fancied us an easy 3 points. The match was spirited and
contentious but we came away victorious 2-1 via a somewhat dubious winner.

And to the final week, build up was all about getting a
good squad together. We wanted to avenge the early season defeat and put clear
daylight between us and the lower end of the table. However our opponents
Kilburn Grange failed to show so we were awarded the win and fourth spot was
ours. A bit disappointing to not have the opportunity to win on the pitch but
we took a paper victory and played keepy up instead. We celebrated our
‘victory’ at Mosob in Maida Vale on Daves recommendation - it was a good one,
great food and brilliant service.

So all in all glorious mediocrity and a season of what
ifs. We played well in a few matches, poorly in others but mostly we were
undone by having a small squad. Nothing emphasised this more than the 4-0 win
against Racing Maylan reversed to a 4-1 defeat just a few weeks later. From a
squad of 10 for the first game a bare 5 played the second. As our legs gave out
they were able to rotate their players.

Thanks must go to Dave for running the team he did a
brilliant job in organising as well as playing in virtually every game.

I have listed all those who played a part in the season.
Apologies to anyone I have missed out: Will, Dave, Matt Turner, Andy, Matt
Prout, Andrea, Jonni, Ally, Khan, Rodrigo, Kofi, Felix, Michele, Mauro, Paul French, Owen.